The 25-year-old prospect, who’s trying to learn first base on the fly, represents so much more than just a young player working to make a name for himself

By all accounts, Rob Refsnyder is a perfectly acceptable prospect. He has a nice bat, is working hard to learn multiple positions, and seems to have the potential to be a solid major-league player. At the very least, he deserves an opportunity to earn the everyday first-base job during Mark Teixeira’s stint on the disabled list, however long it may last.

But in the eyes of many Yankees fans, the 25-year-old Refsnyder represents so much more than a young player trying to make a name for himself. For the past 21/2 years, there...